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Andy


Posts: 1406
Joined: Jan 2003
Last Visited: 08:47
2nd May 2019
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 11.18hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
I agree with igloo -get the skiing sorted first then the cafes. If you really want shelter just take the chair down to the base cafe.

igloo4you


Posts: 522
Joined: Oct 2009
Last Visited: 16:28
22nd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 11.21hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
mlsgraham

Should be running again by next weekend.

jabuzzard


Posts: 885
Joined: Jan 2010
Last Visited: 11:02
16th Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.17hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
mlsgraham Wrote:
Any updates on the Cliffy? As a boarder, the 2 T-bars to the top is a killer and the Cliffy is a perfect time for a wee rest going uphill. Was up yesterday, had a great day. Love the new "cash-only" window for those of us who bother to engage our brains in the morning and realise that we're going to the base of a mountain in the Highlands.


Said it before, will keep saying it till it happens. Screw the cash only line and install some handsfree gear, then let me buy a handsfree pass that can be charged up for the day/centre of my choice using an app on my mobile phone.

Of course that would require the five centres to actually cooperate on something, but paying staff in 2016 to actually process this stuff manually rather than doing something more useful instead has to be total madness.

igloo4you


Posts: 522
Joined: Oct 2009
Last Visited: 16:28
22nd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.30hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
Jabuzzard,

We currently have laid new fibre across the mountain this summer and have great internal communication but unfortunately our adsl lines connect at a speed just above the old dial up. Our main phone line suffers from bad interference, our satellite broadband is sporadic at best and our back up mobile broadband gets swamped when we get busy. Having an online system when we cannot rely on being able to connect to the outside world would be a disaster. We plan to introduce an online solution but cannot do so until BT upgrade the exchange and we have a robust and reliable internet connection. Unfortunately that does not look like happening any time soon. Until then a new extra cash window is the best we can do.

Through the marketing group Ski Scotland the centres co-operate on a lot already, all area passes, trinum, websites, video, marketing, promoton etc.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 13.35hrs Fri 19 Feb 16 by igloo4you.

Ad_Hynkel


Posts: 222
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 12:28
12th Feb 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.32hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
Andy Wrote:
I agree with igloo -get the skiing sorted first then the cafes. If you really want shelter just take the chair down to the base cafe.


I was up on Wed pm with my daughter, she is 9. The weather closed in and she started getting cold and decided she wanted to go home. I persuaded her to come with me into the cafe to get out of it and see what happened. After 10mins the snow eased off and by the time we got onto the next lift it had stopped and the wind had eased too. We carried on til 4, had a great time and she can't wait to get back. The shelter of the cafe turned what could have been a miserable experience and a bad memory of the place for her into a joyous one. She even did her first face plant on the last run and laughed about it, once she had got over the shock of a face full of snow. If we had got onto the chair when she was already feeling cold, then it wouldn't have ended happily.

I agree there are priorities but shelter on the mountain is a big one for kids. I have seen enough miserable children on the mountain over the years and from the above experience to know it's value.

alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.36hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
Said it before, will keep saying it till it happens. Screw the cash only line and install some handsfree gear, then let me buy a handsfree pass that can be charged up for the day/centre of my choice using an app on my mobile phone.

Of course that would require the five centres to actually cooperate on something, but paying staff in 2016 to actually process this stuff manually rather than doing something more useful instead has to be total madness.


At the moment the internet infrastructure to support such a system is just not in place for Glencoe, Glenshee and the Lecht, and no immediate prospect that it will be. A bespoke system using vary limited bandwidth could be built, but at a cost. As far as the next generation broadband rollout is concerned, Glencoe (up the glen from the village) Glen Etive and Glencoe Mountain Resort have simply been filed in the too difficult / too expensive category.

The option has been in place at Nevis Range for a number of years and it makes very little impact on the potential for ticket office queues because it is hardly used.

Chris H


Posts: 1620
Joined: Dec 2003
Last Visited: 23:59
13th Mar 2020
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 14.20hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
What jabuzzard seems to be suggesting is a smartphone app, that lets you buy a pass online and it gives you for example a unique barcode, or even stores the purchase info for hands free transmission via NFC tech. With the right software this code/data could be stored on the device and available offline so no phone data connection is needed when you arrive at the centre. You would then need suitable turnstiles with scanners that would let those with pre-purchased passes scan the code from their phone and up on to the hill. I would have thought these turnstiles could operate without an internet connection, though I'm not an expert so happy to be told otherwise. As a backup some form of unique code could also be generated, and downloaded by the centre so they validate purchases manually. Requesting this backup data would amount to little more than receiving an email in terms of data requirements, so no fast broadband needed.

The ‘problem’ with this sort of smartphone solution is the cost. The technology has been around with a while, and I’m taking a pure guess here, but I bet you are probably easily looking at 100k+ to implement even a simple solution. This figure would easily be a lot more if you want controls at individual lifts, like would probably be required away from Glencoe and Nevis (which have access lifts). As these sort of systems become cheaper and more accessible I’d be fairly confident in the next few years someone will adopt this sort of solution, but who gets there first is anyone’s guess.

What Nevis Range have had is something quite different where you needed a Skidata ‘keycard’, and you could only buy the pass in advance if you had this keycard first. As these needed to be ordered first from Nevis Range, and the card itself carried a cost, albeit a small one, it never proved very popular and this system is currently offline. I think an app based system would be a far different proposition and would prove an instant hit with customers.




Edited 1 times. Last edit at 14.23hrs Fri 19 Feb 16 by Chris H.

igloo4you


Posts: 522
Joined: Oct 2009
Last Visited: 16:28
22nd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 14.54hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
Chris H,

When we can't even rely on our card machines working and sometimes can't get e-mails we would worry that up to date data would not be getting to the control gates. We have seriously explored the situation but until our internet is more robust decision was made to put it on the back burner. Definitely something we want to do.

Chris H


Posts: 1620
Joined: Dec 2003
Last Visited: 23:59
13th Mar 2020
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 15.09hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
igloo4you Wrote:
Chris H,

When we can't even rely on our card machines working and sometimes can't get e-mails we would worry that up to date data would not be getting to the control gates. We have seriously explored the situation but until our internet is more robust decision was made to put it on the back burner. Definitely something we want to do.


Understood Andy, that's a real shame that in this day and age you can't get a reliable, let alone fast, internet connection. Having good internet access is a building block for any successful business these days and after all the promises over the years for better rural broadband someone at HIE/BT/Scottish Government should feel ashamed of themselves that you are struggling like you are. Hoping the situation improves for you, though not sure it will any time soon.

Andy


Posts: 1406
Joined: Jan 2003
Last Visited: 08:47
2nd May 2019
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 15.45hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 15.46hrs Fri 19 Feb 16 by Andy.

alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 18.27hrs on Fri 19 Feb 16
Going more O/T :p

Having good internet access is a building block for any successful business these days and after all the promises over the years for better rural broadband someone at HIE/BT/Scottish Government should feel ashamed of themselves that you are struggling like you are.


There was an HIE orgranised meeting about broadband provision in rural Lochaber recently in Fort William, incidentally on the day of storm Henry that crumpled Glencoe's TooWay dish and caused a line fault that also took down the ADSL. There are a good number of businesses in a similar situation who are really struggling, even basic business functions now require a decent internet connection.

There's no doubt the rollout being funded by the SG through HIE is transforming connectivity for many rural areas, but the meeting in Fort William highlighted to clear shortcomings in the criteria used to set targets for the project:

1. Firstly, no account of need on the basis of the inadequacy or total absence of current broadband.

2. Targets based on properties, but not taking account of what these properties are used for. 3 houses would count for more than a 30 bedroom hotel or a caravan park or in Glencoe's case a Ski Area - thus no account of the number of people who may at a given location trying to get online.

Point 1 is probably the most critical, because where the target is to get 'next generation' broadband speeds to X% of properties the inevitable outcome is the easy pickings are done first. The result been those who already have semi acceptable internet get high speed internet, while those who have next to nothing are left with next to nothing.


[www.kirkwood.com]

I lived and worked in Kirkwood, CA in the past and the 'Cornice Cam' on that webpage is the same camera as 10 years ago. They've had a streaming webcam since 2003 or 2004, there still isn't the infrastructure to support sufficiently fast unmetered internet access for such a camera at a usable resolution at any of the Scottish Snowsport Areas. (Well at CairnGorm and Nevis Range Three might just be able to support it, but the cost would be astronomical).

We are that far behind, quite a few people have asked why are the webcam images from Glencoe lower resolution on this site than the others and that's simply down to the fact sometimes it's a struggle to get 640x480 stills out.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 18.28hrs Fri 19 Feb 16 by alan.

BennDavie


Posts: 77
Joined: Jan 2016
Last Visited: 16:55
16th Feb 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 09.36hrs on Sat 20 Feb 16
Guess that's the last we'll see of the cliffy till spring now then?


glenogle


Posts: 486
Joined: Feb 2008
Last Visited: 23:25
1st Jun 2018
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.34hrs on Sat 20 Feb 16
If you read the thread, you will see that igloo says next weekend hopefully.

Had two southern softies up week before last and they loved it. I think they spent most of the day lapping the East ridge. My favourite snow was on the wall, closely followed by springy. It was good to look down on the beginners area and see the benefits of the new poma.it really helps spread out the beginners and really forms a nice area. Hopefully it helps draw in more families and kids. I for one would be happy to take my niece up there now, whereas previously it was just too limited by the access bottleneck. Keep up the good work, but be wary of the expectations of the beginners and families you draw in. The plateau chateau needs expansion. The facilities at the lecht are the best around if you ask me and that's one of the reasons it is so popular with families and beginners. (I appreciate that it is also the Base station and next to the skiing,but that's the draw)


glenogle


Posts: 486
Joined: Feb 2008
Last Visited: 23:25
1st Jun 2018
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.38hrs on Sat 20 Feb 16
Forgot to add. The soup was rubbish, it really shouldn't be difficult to make a nice/pleasant soup, at least it was roasting hot though so still done the job.

Wrt automatic tickets etc. I'm happier queuing a couple mins for a cash window with the savings being invested on the hill.

BennDavie


Posts: 77
Joined: Jan 2016
Last Visited: 16:55
16th Feb 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 10.42hrs on Sun 21 Feb 16
"If you read the thread, you will see that igloo says next weekend hopefully."

AYE! Ah red that, aye.

Can you not read the irony in my post mate?

What, with all the new snow fall and the forecast for a shitload more, the hill is getting loaded up man, your telling me that the cliffy bullwheel will be turning by next weekend. I's a nightmare and can quite often take days to sort shit out after a storm, with all the chairs on the ground for over a month and regular freeze/thaws, they will probably need a thermal lance to get them out. "Good luck Boys!"
"Igloo says... Blah blah hopefully". Sorry Andy but I feel hopefully is more than just the operative word here now.
I most sincerely hope that's not the case and the wheels do indeed turn for the weekend.
Saying that, the wall T bar take off has provided plenty of singles for us and the queue with some wicked entertainment this season, all for the price of a few empty T bars on a busy day.

"Had two southern softies up week before last"

"Eh" ? You work for the Beano or Dandy or something?

Being welsh and a wee bit tetchy my piss can't help boiling at that one.Come to work for a day with me and I'll show you how soft us southies are.lol.
If volunteers are needed for any digging out with the cliffy you'd be the hardy northern mountain man to call then eh? roffl.

You think the soup was bad? You cook better at 2000ft.or get a take away haggis pizza from Cairngourmet .
At least they don't sell chips any more, with greassy sweat dripping off the ceiling into your coffee.
The best bacon roll you'll ever find up any mountain anywhere anytime,
Was up on Thursday without Ben, EPIC day not withstanding the marginal vis, powder everywhere up to my bollox in places, Skied to the pickup at end of play don't even think I dingied my bases too bad either.The east end was loaded and getting more so by the minute . Cannae wait till next time get some powder up ma nose ,lol and plenty laps of the east end eh?.
I'm really sorry we missed the festivties last night as this very special place means so much to so many THANK YOU.
But shit happens.To top it all got to work today too, low level thankfully.

Davie . not hidden.
And you I presume are NoonecantellwhoIamIcansayanyuninformedshitiwantfeelsuperiorandhaveaweegiggletomyselfatsomeoneelsesexpense?
A sad reflection on society when people are only emboldened by anonymity." sorry typo there meant to read Sheeple"..


THIS land IS OUR land.

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